Yes’ Steve Howe Issues Strong Denial of Copyright Infringement

Steve Howe has issued a strong denial against the claim of copyright infringement recently brought against him.

The Yes guitarist was named in court papers regarding the song “Dare to Know” from the band’s 2021 album The Quest. The lawsuit was brought by former band collaborator Riz Story, who said “Dare to Know” was a rip-off of his 2012 work “Reunion.”

Yes singer Jon Davison, a lifelong friend of Story, previously issued his own denial after being named in the lawsuit, saying: “It’s hard to put in words how it feels to … hear that a person who I thought was a friend has brought not only an utterly fictitious but also a defamatory case against me.”

READ MORE: Yes’ Steve Howe on ‘The Quest’ and Recording Without Chris Squire

In a new social media post Howe wrote: “Jon Davison did not write ‘Dare to Know.’ I did, and it was based on a theme I’ve been developing since 1973. Early versions can easily be found in our demo and studio recordings from the time and on the internet – some were released on an expanded version of Tales Of Topographic Oceans in 2002.”

The statement was accompanied by a 12-second audio track, available below, which contains a clip from “Dare to Know” panned to one stereo channel and “The Ancient” panned to the other.

Steve Howe’s Audio Evidence Against Song Theft Claim

“This comparison… demonstrates how Steve Howe has a version of this exact same melody in a 1974 recording (“The Ancient”). Here is proof of Steve exploring that very same idea in 1974 and it should be obvious that it’s much more likely the source of this melody.”

The note explained: “‘The Ancient’ was pitched up by three semitones to make it match, and the relationship between any of the notes was not edited or adjusted.”

Story’s lawsuit included the claim that Davison had been aware of “Reunion,” that he and Howe reworked the song together, and that the singer’s name had been removed from the credits to disguise its origin.

The case is set to proceed through the Central District of California.